Chapter 16 - The Road to Hangar Four
"He's heading for the hangar," Holt radioed. "We're trying to cut him off."
Marcus rode beside Brooks while Viper paced in the back. The dog kept turning toward the fleeing vehicle whenever it vanished behind a hill, as though refusing to lose another man to that black case.
A roadblock stopped the utility truck near the maintenance gate. The driver, Northgate security chief Cal Doran, abandoned it and ran between two storage buildings with the case in his arms.
Brooks jumped out. "Military police! Stop!"
Doran ignored him. Marcus watched from the passenger seat, furious at the distance his injured body couldn't close. He had spent years learning to live with pain. He had never learned to stop hating the things it took away.
"Use your head, not your leg," Ortiz told him over the radio. "Where's he going?"
Marcus looked at the layout. "Hangar Four has a service entrance. He's taking the short cut."
Holt redirected the MPs. Brooks stayed with Marcus and Viper. When they reached the hangar, Doran was already inside. The doors slammed shut, and the lights went out.
"Power's been cut locally," Holt said. "Fire crews are on their way."
Inside, somebody shouted for help. A mechanic stumbled through a side exit coughing and said two workers were trapped near the storage area.
Ortiz ordered everyone back until the fire crew arrived. Then smoke curled out through a seam above the door, and the workers' voices became louder.
Marcus looked at Brooks. Neither spoke. They could hear one of the trapped men crying for his mother.
A side access door stood open just wide enough for a person to pass. Ortiz called for rescue equipment and ordered Brooks to stay out.
Before anyone moved, Viper tore his leash from Brooks's hand and slipped into the smoke.
May you like
Marcus stared after him.
"Not again," he said, and followed.
